Shocking dashcam video shows head-on crash on North Yorkshire road after driver fell asleep at the wheel

The collision happened between York and Harrogate in February 2019, when his Vauxhall Astra veered into the opposite carriageway and struck a Nissan Note containing an elderly couple head-on.

72-year-old Note passenger Mary Lewis suffered life-changing injuries which left her in a wheelchair and reliant on the care of her husband, who was driving them back from a day out in York at the time.

She sustained a broken leg, shattered left knee, five broken ribs, a punctured lung, a fractured pelvis and breastbone and six broken vertebrae. She had previously been fit and active.

The crash was captured on the dascham of a car following behind, and the footage has only just been released, three months after Astra driver Neville Cheverton, 70, was convicted and sentenced.

Cheverton told police he had fallen asleep at the wheel, and first felt tired about 10 minutes before the accident - but 'slapped' himself awake and continued driving as was close to home.

He and his wife were returning from a day out in Pateley Bridge to their home in Stockton-on-the-Forest, and he admitted that medication he had been taking since a cancer diagnosis had made him feel drowsy.

He pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving at York Crown Court in December 2019, and was given a two-year community order with 40 hours of unpaid work and a two-year driving ban.

Traffic Constable Joe Schramm investigated the A59 collision and has released the video to warn of the dangers of driving while tired.

“Crashes involving tired drivers are often at high-speed, because the driver was asleep and did not brake at all, and so they can result in devastating injuries.

“Even if you don’t fall asleep, driving while tired impairs your judgement, co-ordination and reaction time - so you may brake late or miss a hazard altogether. Driving tired is just not worth the risk.

“All drivers who fall asleep at the wheel have a degree of warning, so there is simply no excuse. Please remember, at the first sign of tiredness, stop in a safe place, and take a break.”

Drivers should make sure they have plenty of rest before setting off. Once on the road, stopping for a 15-minute nap in a safe place is more effective at reducing fatigue than getting out and stretching your legs.

Modern lifestyles such as early morning starts, shift work and late night socialising, often lead to excessive tiredness. Natural tiredness may also occur after eating a large meal, and changes in body rhythm produce an increased tendency to sleep from midnight to 6am, and from 2pm to 4pm.

Prescribed or over-the-counter medication can cause sleepiness as a side effect. Always check the label if you intend to drive.